Method for controlling electronic device and electronic system

ABSTRACT

Method and apparatus for controlling an electronic device. The method comprises pointing using a pointing device at a link device in order to create a wireless data transmission connection between the pointing device and the link device, and transferring identification data between the pointing device and the link device along the created data transmission connection. Next, a first association between the identification data of the pointing device and the identification data of the link device is formed. After this, a second association between the identification data of the user of the pointing device and the identification data device to be controlled communicating with the link device is formed.

FIELD

The invention relates to a method for controlling an electronic deviceand to an electronic system employing the method.

BACKGROUND

The control of electronic products has developed considerably in recentyears. Previously electronic devices, such as televisions or audioequipment, were controlled using wireless remote controls, for instance.Current pointing technologies employ wireless mice or keyboards forcontrolling a computer. General-purpose remote controls also exist, inwhich control software can be loaded for controlling the device to becontrolled. Studies have also been carried out concerning graspable userinterfaces, in which the data of electronic devices is controlled usingphysical objects symbolizing the data. With the progress of technology aconcept of “ubiquitous computing” has been created, which mainly refersto the fact that the data processing capacity previously found only incomputers has been transferred to electronic devices by placingmicroprocessors thereto. What has become a problem is how tointelligently control these very different devices using for instance asingle wireless control device.

However, the object of ubiquitous computing, and particularly of asub-type thereof—context sensitive applications—is to createapplications that serve the user, if not automatically, then at leastsemi-automatically. In order to be able to do this, the applicationsrequire context information, or information concerning the user context.When the control of electronic devices is concerned, the contextinformation allows selecting the devices that the user is assumed to bewilling to control. The context information can be derived or deducedfrom a set of different types of data. Such types may include theposition of the user or another physical measurement unit associatedwith the environment. The types also comprise the operations that occurin data processing systems (such as home automation systems), which canthus not be measured. Creating the data needed to form the contextinformation requires a measurement functionality in the user environmentsystems, and in order to process the measurement results the use ofvarious computationally heavy methods may be required. For example,measurement and determination to be carried out for accurately locatingthe user is an extremely complex process, particularly in interiorsurroundings. No solutions are currently known for selecting the deviceto be controlled, in which context data formed of sensor data is notused.

In brief, the most significant problem is the complexity and costs ofcreating the data required for forming the context information and ofinterpreting said context information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved method forcontrolling an electronic device and an improved electronic system. Asan aspect of the invention there is provided a method according to claim1 for controlling an electronic device. As another aspect of theinvention there is provided an electronic system according to claim 13.The preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in thedependent claims.

The invention is based on the idea that context information is simplyacquired by physically pointing using a pointing device at a link deviceconnected or belonging to a device to be controlled, and thereafter thedevice to be controlled and the pointing device can be connected withone another using deduction.

The solution of the invention may replace a complex sensor/locationtechnology using a known simple pointing technique and attachingintelligence thereto in a new fashion. The solution is simpler toimplement and therefore more economical than known complex technologies.

LIST OF DRAWINGS

In the following the preferred embodiments of the invention areexplained by way of example with reference to the appended drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 shows the operational environment where an electronic device iscontrolled;

FIG. 2A and 2B show different ways of implementing physical pointing;

FIG. 3 shows how an electronic device is controlled using physicalpointing and intelligence attached thereto; and

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a method for controlling anelectronic device.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIG. 1, an operational environment is described, inwhich an electronic device is controlled. A user 100 has a pointingdevice 102 used to control an electronic device 112 through a linkdevice 110. A wireless or wired data transmission connection 116 can beestablished between the electronic device 112 to be controlled and thelink device 110. An integrated electronic device 114 is also possible,in which case the link device 110 is integrated to the electronic device112.

The pointing device 102 may, for instance, be a mobile phone or a PDAdevice (Personal Digital Assistant) provided with electronics enablingto implement a wireless data transmission connection 130 to the linkdevice 110. Data transmission is based on physical pointing, which heremeans that the user 100 must perform an active operation, i.e. the user100 has to point out the link device 102 using the pointing device 102in order to establish the data transmission connection 130. Pointing isbased on utilizing the direction of electric and/or magnetic waves. Aknown technique for implementing physical pointing is to utilizedirected infrared radiation, for instance in accordance with the IrDAstandard (the Infrared Data Association). It is apparent to thoseskilled in the art that also other kinds of known measures forimplementing physical pointing can be employed, such as the use of adirected antenna beam known from radio systems.

Electronics is also implemented in the link device 110 that allowsimplementing the wireless data transmission connection 130 based onphysical pointing to the pointing device 102. The data transmissionconnection 130 is nearly always bi-directional, apart from perhaps somespecialized applications, in which a unidirectional data transmissionconnection may be used, for example in a situation, where the user 100only provides commands to the electronic device 112 using the pointingdevice 102 thereof without requiring any acknowledgements concerning theimplementation of the control.

In view of the interesting applications, it is important that the user100, the pointing device 102, the link device 110 and the electronicdevice 112 include identification data that identifies each device. Theidentification data must be able to unambiguously distinguish thecontrol parties from one another, even if the requirement forunambiguity may vary. It is sufficient in some applications that theunambiguity is restricted to a particular geographical region, such asthe home of the user 100, whereas other applications may require aworld-wide unambiguity; for instance if chargeable services are theobject of the users 100 control, then the identification data of theuser 100 has to be universally unambiguous.

For clarity, the simplified example in FIG. 1 shows the identificationdata in simplified form, but in reality longer and more complexidentification data is generally required. The contents of the user's100 identification data 106 are referred to as “4”. One way to show theuser's 100 identification data 106 in the system is to employ a SIM card(Subscriber Identity Module), whereby the SIM card comprises theidentification data 106 readable using a card reader in the pointingdevice 102. The SIM card may also be placed into the card reader of thepointing device 102 permanently or only for the time the readingrequires. Other prior art methods for presenting the identity of theuser 100 in an electronic system can also be employed.

In our example, the contents of identification data 108 of the pointingdevice 102 are referred to as “3”. An example of the identification data102 of the pointing device 102 is the international identifier of thedevice used in a mobile communications systems, but it is apparent thatother prior art ways for showing the identity of the pointing device 102in-an electronic system can also be employed.

The contents of identification data 118 of the link device 110 arereferred to as “2”. If the data transmission connection 130 isimplemented using a radio connection, the base station identifier usedin mobile communication systems illustrates an example of theidentification data 118, whereby the link device 110 is interpreted as akind of mini base station.

The contents of identification data 120 of the electronic device 112 arereferred to as “1”. An example of the structure of the identificationdata 120 is an address according to the Internet protocol, whereby theelectronic device 120 to be controlled may unambiguously be universallyidentified at the Internet level. One way to implement the universallyoperating unambiguous identification in the system described would be toemploy the address according to the Internet protocol for each part ofthe system.

The electronic device 112 to be controlled comprises at least one objectto be identified with the identification data 120 to which the controlis directed. The object to be controlled may itself be an electronicdevice 112, or then the electronic device 112 may also comprise severalobjects to be identified with the identification data 120. For example,the electronic device 112, in which the object to be controlled is thedevice itself, is a television. The electronic device 112 includingseveral objects to be controlled is for instance a computer placed onpublic premises including various chargeable/chargeless services. It canbe noted that depending on the embodiment the object to be controlled iseither a physical object or an abstract object. Examples of physicalobjects are devices (electronic, mechatronic, etc), passive items (toys,tools, furniture, walls, etc.) or physical location (rooms, offices,buildings, work places, street addresses, etc.). Examples of abstractobjects include information (schedules, etc.) or services (flightreservation services, etc.).

In the following, FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate different ways to implementphysical pointing in an electronic system for creating a datatransmission connection between the pointing device 102 and the linkdevice 110, both comprising the identification data 108, 118 identifyingthe device. The identification data 108, 118 is transferred on a datatransmission connection between the pointing device 102 and the linkdevice 110 along the created data transmission connection.

In FIG. 2A the link device 110 transmits the identification data 118 ina directed way in the previously described manner to implement a datatransmission connection 200. In the Figure, lines 202 and 204 illustratethe coverage area of the directed transmission 200, or the area, inwhich the pointing device 102 has to be, in order to be able to receivethe identification data 118 sent by the link device 102 on the datatransmission connection 200. Thus, the physical pointing of the pointingdevice 102 towards the link device 110 means that the pointing device isapplied to the coverage area of the link device 110 restricted by thelines 202 and 204. In FIG. 2A, the coverage area that the lines 202 and204 restrict can also be described as an angle 206, i.e. a coverage areais formed of a sector and opens at the angle 206.

In FIG. 2B, the pointing device 102 points at the link device 110, andthe pointing device 102 sends the identification data thereof to thelink device 110 in a directed transmission 210. Again the coverage aremay be described as a sector, whose borders 212 and 214 are opened at anangle 216 towards the link device 110.

The physical pointing is based on the fact that the user 100 knows wherethe link device 110 is located, or the user 100 may try to find the linkdevice 110 by pointing with the pointing device 102 at such locations,in which the user 100 presumes that the link device 110 is located.Implementing the user interface of the pointing device 102 determinesthe necessity of the users 100 other operations, or more particularlywhether the user 100 needs to perform other active operations inaddition to the pointing, such as pressing a key on the pointing device100 in order to carry out data transmission.

What is achieved with physical pointing is that in an electronic systeminformation is obtained only about events that may interest the user100. Conventionally the movements of the user 100 have been monitoredusing different sensor techniques in ubiquitous computing, whereby anenormous amount of data is collected to the system, from which the mostrelevant and irrelevant data has to be separately determined. Physicalpointing can be used to restrict the amount of data to be created.

In the following, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the control of anelectronic device is explained as regards the method and the electronicsystem. The method for controlling the electronic device starts fromblock 400. Next, in block 402, the pointing device physically points atthe link device 110 in order to create a wireless data transmissionconnection 200, 210 between the pointing device 102 and the link device110.

Then, in block 404, the identification data 108, 118 is transferredbetween the pointing device 102 and the link device 110 along thecreated wireless data transmission connection 200, 210. In datatransmission, the process may proceed in accordance with FIG. 2A and/or2B depending on the situation, i.e. the identification data 108 of thepointing device 102 is transferred to the link device 110 along thecreated data transmission connection 210 and/or the identification data118 of the link device 110 is transferred to the pointing device 102along the created data transmission connection 200. The transfer of theidentification data between the devices may thus be a uni-directionaltransmission of broadcast type, or bidirectional transmission, in whicha link is negotiated between the devices, but the identification data ismerely transferred in one direction, or bi-directional transmission, inwhich the identification data is transferred in both directions.

After the transfer of the identification data, a first association isformed between the identification data 108 of the pointing device 102and the identification data 118 of the link device 110 in block 406. Thefirst association can be created on various locations. The example inFIG. 3 comprises three different alternatives:

1) If the link device 110 has sent the identification data 118 thereofto the pointing device 102, the first association can be created in acontrol part 330 of the pointing device 102.

2) If the pointing device 102 has sent the identification data 108thereof to the link device 110, the first association can be created ina control part 332 of the link device 110.

3) Irrespective of the fact whether the pointing device 102 has sent theidentification data 108 thereof to the link device 110 and/or the linkdevice the identification data 118 thereof to the pointing device 102,the device 102/110, which as a result-of the data transmission possessesthe identification data 108, 118 of both the pointing device 102 and thelink device 110, sends said identification data 310 to a separatecontrol part 304 along a data transmission connection 300, 302.

The system comprises means 304/330/332 for forming a first association312 between the identification data 108 of the pointing device 102 andthe identification data 118 of the link device 110. Basically, creatingthe first association can, irrespective of the desired implementation,be carried out either in one of the devices 102, 110 or in the controlpart 304 separate from the devices 102, 110. In FIG. 3, method 3 is usedof the alternatives described above. The first association 312 is thuscreated in the separate control part 304. If methods 1 or 2 were used,then the contents of the block described using reference numeral 310would be the created first association, i.e. the block described usingreference numeral 312.

In addition, the electronic system comprises a database 306, in whichbasic data is stored about the different parts 314 of the system such asthe identification data ID#1, ID#2, ID#3, ID#4 of the devices, andassociations 316, 318 between different devices. The same holds true forthis database 306 as for the separate control part 304, which may eitherbe placed with the pointing device 102, with the link device 110, orseparately from said devices. In the example shown in FIG. 3, thedatabase 306 is a separate one, for example in the same device as theseparate control part 304, or then still apart from the separate controlpart 304. What is important is that the control part 330/332/304 towhich the logic required in processing is implemented is provided with adata transmission connection to the database 306.

Next, a second association 320 is formed between the identification data106 of the user 100 of the pointing device 102 and the identificationdata 120 of the electronic device 112 to be controlled that communicateswith the link device 110. The second association 320 is based on thefirst association 312, on a third association 318 between theidentification data 108 of the pointing device 102 stored in thedatabase 306 and the identification data 106 of the user 100, and on afourth association 316 between the identification data 118 of the linkdevice 110 stored in the database 306 and the identification data 120 ofthe electronic device 112 to be controlled.

The system thus comprises the means 304 for forming the secondassociation 320 between the identification data 106 of the user 100 ofthe pointing device 102 and the identification data 120 of theelectronic device 112 to be controlled that communicates with the linkdevice 110. The second association 320 is based on the first association312, on the third association 318 between the identification data 108 ofthe pointing device 102 received as an input 308 from the database 306and the identification data 106 of the user 100, and on the fourthassociation 316 between the identification data 118 of the link device106 obtained as the input 308 from the database 306 and theidentification data 120 of the electronic device 108 to be controlled.

The second association 320 created in accordance with FIG. 3 can bestored in a database 322 as a new record 322. The operation is notnecessary, instead the second association can be stored in the permanentmemory or in the working memory of the control part 304 as long as it isrequired.

The data 314, 316, 318 stored a priori in the database 306 is utilizedfor creating new data 320. The new data, or the second association 320,includes the information that the identification data 106 of the user100 and the identification data 120 of the electronic device 112 areassociated with one another, and such an interpretation may result fromthis fact that the user 100 is interested in the electronic device 112.The database 306 may also include more of previously stored informationconcerning the user 100 and the electronic device 112, whereby morecomplex information can be created concerning the context of the user.This kind of stored additional information comprises data concerning anobject placed in the electronic device 112, to which the control isactually directed, for example information about the properties andlocation etc. of the object. Additional information, such as the time ofthe pointing, etc., may also be created concerning the pointingoperation

Finally, in block 410, control data 344 is transferred between thepointing device 102 and the electronic device 110 to be controlledutilizing the information in the associations 312, 316, 318, 320.Furthermore, other information stored in the database 306 can also beutilized. The transfer of the control data is user-specific as describedabove. The term “user-specific” signifies that the control data isassociated with a particular user, who is identified on the basis of theidentification data of the user. The user-specificity can also beutilized, as will be described below, so that the control data to betransferred is user-specific in such a sense that it is modified tocorrespond with the preferences of the user in question. Thus, thesystem comprises the means 330, 332 to transfer the control data 344,116 between the pointing device 102 and the electronic device 112 to becontrolled utilizing the information included in the associations 312,316, 318, 322. As is shown in FIG. 3, the required information istransferred from the separate control part 304 to the control part 330of the pointing device 102 along the data transmission connection 340and/or to the control part 332 of the link device 110 along the datatransmission connection 342. Naturally, if the separate control part 304is not used, then the required information is only transferred betweenthe control part 330 of the pointing device 102 and the control part 332of the link device 110. The control is finally ended in block 412 shownin FIG. 4.

In an embodiment, the same data transmission connection is not used fortransferring control data that is used for transferring identificationdata; instead a separate data transmission connection is provided forsuch a purpose. This separate data transmission connection 350 can alsobe implemented directly between the pointing device 102 and the device112 to be controlled, without the data transmission connection 350having to travel through the link device 110. The data transmissionconnection 130 used for transferring identification data and theseparate data transmission connection 350 can thus be created usingdifferent appropriate technologies.

In an embodiment, the physical pointing 200/210 and the datatransmission connection 130 required for transferring the identificationdata can also be separated from one another. The pointing device 102 andthe link device 110 are automatically connected to each other using theBluetooth technology, for instance, whereby the data transmissionconnection 130 at the radio level is established. The physical pointing200/210 occurs using one of the methods described above. The physicalpointing starts the establishment of the data transmission connection130 used for signalling, but the identification data 118/108 istransferred along the established data transmission connection 130. Thephysical pointing 200/210 and the data transmission connection 130 canthus be created using different appropriate technologies.

The general-purpose remote controls are examples of the simplest controlapplications, in which the above control method can be used. When theobject to be controlled has been defined using the described method, therest can be implemented using prior art methods for implementing aninterface.

A simple embodiment is such that the user 100 wants to obtaininformation about an object in his/her environment. When the object tobe controlled is identified by means of the method described, the user100 may be provided with information about the object, or the electronicdevice 112, by sending information through the link device 110 to thepointing device 102. Information may be stored in a part of theelectronic system that determines the kind of data the user 100 desiresconcerning the object in question.

Such an embodiment can also be implemented using the method describedthat the interface of the electronic device 112 to be controlled isretrieved to the pointing device 102, and using said interface inhis/her pointing device 102 the user 100 may issue commands to theelectronic device 112 and more particularly to the objects to becontrolled therein. The system may also comprise stored information thatdetermines the kind of interface that should be offered for a particulartype of pointing device 102. An example of such an object to becontrolled is the flight reservation system mentioned above.

In an embodiment, the user 100 may have a need to locatehimself/herself, either according to his/her own will or by the requestof a friend, for example. The user 100 might as described above point atthe link device 110 and obtain the information concerning his/herlocation from the electronic device 112 connected to the link device110. If desired, the electronic system might transfer the location datato the friend that required such data. No other location system needs tobe used, and thus the data protection of the user 100 could more easilybe protected if desired.

In an embodiment, a time stamp is attached to the pointing operations,whereby the system becomes aware of the pointing operations that theuser 100 typically performs at certain times. If the user 100 does notcarry out a certain pointing operation at a particular time, then thesystem may remind the user 100 about performing such a pointingoperation through the pointing device 102.

The described embodiments are preferably implemented as software,whereby the control part 330, the control part 332, the control part304, the database 306 and the electronic device 112 are microprocessorsincluding the software thereof. The partial equipment implementation canalso be implemented, especially using ASIC (Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit). Those skilled in the art divide theresponsibilities of the operations between the different parts of thesystem as is known in the art and take into account the manufacturingcosts, operating costs, and the expensiveness of use and implementationof the data transmission connections, as well as other possiblyaffecting matters. Some of the functionalities determined above can ifdesired also be transferred to be carried out using the electronicdevice 112.

Even though the invention has above been explained with reference to theexample in the accompanying drawings, it is apparent that the inventionis not restricted thereto but can be modified in various ways within thescope of the inventive idea disclosed in the attached claims.

1. A method for controlling an electronic device comprising: pointingphysically using a pointing device at a link device in order to create awireless data transmission connection between the pointing device andthe link device; transferring identification data between the pointingdevice and the link device along the created data transmissionconnection; forming a first association between the identification dataof the pointing device and the identification data of the link device;forming a second association between the identification data of the userof the pointing device and the identification data of the electronicdevice to be controlled communicating with the link device, the secondassociation being based on the first association, on a third associationbetween the identification data of the pointing device stored in adatabase and the identification data of the user, and on a fourthassociation between the identification data of the link device stored ina database and the identification data of the electronic device to becontrolled; and transferring control data between the pointing deviceand the electronic device to be controlled utilizing the information inthe associations.
 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein theidentification data of the pointing device is transferred to the linkdevice along the created data transmission connection and/or theidentification data of the link device is transferred to the pointingdevice along the created data transmission connection.
 3. A method asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises at least oneobject to be identified using the identification data to which thecontrol is directed.
 4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein theobject is a physical object or an abstract object.
 5. A method asclaimed in claim 4, wherein the physical object is a device, a passiveitem or a physical location.
 6. A method as claimed in claim 4, whereinthe abstract object is information or a service.
 7. A method as claimedin claim 1, wherein the control data to be transferred to the pointingdevice includes the type of information the user has determined inadvance concerning the electronic device.
 8. A method as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the control data to be transferred to the pointingdevice includes an interface of the electronic device.
 9. A method asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the control data to be transferred to thepointing device includes positioning data of the electronic device. 10.A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a time stamp is attached to thepointing operation.
 11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein it isdeduced on the basis of the time stamped pointing operations whichpointing operations the user generally performs at a particular time.12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein if the user does notperform a certain pointing operation at a particular time, then the useris reminded through the pointing device about the performance of thepointing operation.
 13. An electronic system comprising a link devicefor establishing a data transmission connection a pointing device forphysically pointing at the link device in order to create a wirelessdata transmission connection between the pointing device and the linkdevice, the link device and the pointing device comprisingidentification data identifying the device, and the identification datais transferred over the wireless data transmission connection betweenthe pointing device and the link device, a database, in whichassociations are stored, means for forming a first association betweenthe identification data of the pointing device and the identificationdata of the link device; means for forming a second association betweenthe identification data of the user of the pointing device and theidentification data of the electronic device to be controlledcommunicating with the link device, the second association being basedon the first association, on a third association between theidentification data of the pointing device obtained as an input from adatabase and the identification data of the user, and on a fourthassociation between the identification data of the link device obtainedas the input from the database and the identification data of theelectronic device to be controlled; and means for transferring controldata between the pointing device and the electronic device to becontrolled utilizing the information in the associations.
 14. A systemas claimed in claim 13, wherein the pointing device comprises means fortransferring the identification data of the pointing device to the linkdevice along the created data transmission connection and/or the linkdevice comprises means for transferring the identification data of thelink device to the pointing device along the created data transmissionconnection.
 15. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the electronicdevice comprises at least one object to be identified using theidentification data to which the control is directed.
 16. A system asclaimed in claim 15, wherein the object is a physical object or anabstract object.
 17. A system as claimed in claim 16, wherein thephysical object is a device, a passive item or a physical location. 18.A system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the abstract object isinformation or a service.
 19. A system as claimed in claim 13, whereinthe control data to be transferred to the pointing device includes thetype of information the user has determined in advance concerning theelectronic device.
 20. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein thecontrol data to be transferred to the pointing device includes aninterface of the electronic device.
 21. A system as claimed in claim 13,wherein the control data to be transferred to the pointing deviceincludes positioning data of the electronic device.
 22. A system asclaimed in claim 13, wherein the system comprises means for attaching atime stamp to the pointing operation.
 23. A system as claimed in claim22, wherein the system comprises the means for deducing on the basis ofthe time stamped pointing operations which pointing operations the usergenerally performs at a particular time using the pointing devicethereof.
 24. A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the systemcomprises the means for reminding the user through the pointing deviceabout the performance of the pointing operation, if the user does notperform a certain pointing operation at a particular time using thepointing device thereof.